"The Island of Legends" a Pulau Langkawi Travel Page by InfiniteVoyage

My partner and I went to Langkawi, for three full-days, with an expectation that it was a more touristy place than Penang. My, how wrong we were.

When we got there by plane, we took a taxi to our hotel and, along the way, immediately noticed the more sedate characteristic of the island. We passed barren, old and actively used farmlands, native-style houses, and beaches without any development. But, the most obvious part was the lack of tourists in the island, especially non-Malaysian tourists.

Seclusion seemed to be the motif in Langkawi and, boy, did we get it without having to make an effort for it. Our hotel, having just a few customers, turned out to be the highlight of our evening activity: just sitting in the romantically illuminated outdoor restaurant by the pool, eating our freshly prepared dinner, and enjoying a post-dinner refreshment while just having mundane conversations and gazing in the stars above.

As we explored the island, we encountered some natives who claimed that Langkawi has been actively vying for more tourists from other parts of Southeast Asia, and especially Malaysia. It seemed to be true from the signs of development made recently. Yet, I think it would take some time before Langkawi becomes a major tourist destination.

On our first full day we received our reserved rental car and, for the first time, drove in a truly foreign country (Canada doesn't count for us) using the British style way of driving. Doug, my partner, was the first to take the steering wheel. As he begun to drive, we both started chanting "Keep left, keep left" in the rhythm of a military march to remind ourselves to stay on the left side of the lanes. Thank goodness the entire driving experience proved quite exciting and enlightening.

Langkawi's roads were well-paved and mostly marked to indicate road divisions. The road signs were good and traffic was mercifully non-existent. As a result, we had the opportunity to see the attractions at our leisurely pace and without having to take tours.

Unfortunately, we didn't find the kind of atmosphere we were after in Langkawi. Don't get me wrong, the island was quite enjoyable and we were glad to have been there despite the severe drought the island was experiencing. (All waterfalls were bone dry, grasses were brownish, and some trees seemed to be dying. So, I won't be giving tips on anything involving waterfalls even though we saw the sights, or lack thereof.) They certainly have pleasant attractions and we found them to be uniquely interesting. For example, Langkawi has so many legends that they ended up constructing a park to visually tell some of them.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're the kind of travelers who enjoy the combined lack and, at the same time, abundance of fellow travelers. To further clarify that position, we like to have the option of mingling and dodging other travelers and the option of avoiding them if we want to. In Langkawi, there wasn't anyone to mingle with to gain other's perspective. There wasn't anyone to avoid to gain that soothing solitude. And, no nightlife to go to (such as a bar/club, a cultural performance, or a nightly gathering in a certain location like the one in Batu Ferringi in Penang) in order to pass some time. Sometimes, the spice of traveling is the ability to survive chaotic or disorderly places or situations and learn something about yourself at the end.

One thing though that we'll never forget is when we had to completely change clothes in public (public beach areas have no facilities whatsoever) using just a regular towel...for us guys, I guess it shouldn't be a big deal. It cetainly wasn't a big deal to me. To Doug, though, it was.